Some 30 local residents of
Hsipaw Township in northern Shan State marched through the streets on Thursday,
demanding the return of lands which were seized by the previous military
government.

About 30 villagers from Kha Laing in Hsipaw Township marched on the street on April 27, demanding their lands back.

According to a locally based Shan
Herald reporter: “There were about 30 villagers from Kha Laing protesting
in the street. They were calling for the Shan State chief minister to review
the case, saying that their lands were confiscated by the army more than 30
years ago.”

The villagers claim their land
collectively covered about 11 acres, and that the military used it to house a sawmill.

“The sawmill ceased operating
about seven years ago, and now about 15 villagers are claiming their lands
back,” the reporter said. “In 2014, they also lodged a complaint, urging the
authorities to allow them to grow crops on the land.”

During
the era of the military junta, arbitrary seizures of farmers’ lands were common
across the country, particularly in Shan
State. By the 2000s, much of the seized land had
been rented out to agri-business firms, and a massive government campaign was
initiated to encourage investment in the harvesting of jatropha oil.
Ultimately, the scheme failed; investors lost great sums of money, while
farmers lost land and livelihoods.

Many aggrieved farmers
have taken steps to reclaim their lands since the National League for Democracy
came to power a little over a year ago. However, almost all report that they
have been unsuccessful in their quest and that little has changed under Aung
San Suu Kyi.

On
December 15, Shan Heraldreported that a 74-year-old villager in
southern Shan State’s Mongpan Township collapsed and died after a construction
company refused to pay compensation for land it had seized from him.

Nang Kaysi of the Ethnic
Peace and Resources Project (EPRP), an organization that works to support the
peace process in Burma, told Shan Herald that, according to their
survey, a total of about 11,000 acres of farmland have been seized from within
18 townships across Shan State.